What specific steps will you take to increase voter participation in Harris County?

What steps can the County Clerk do to ensure the security of every vote cast in Harris County?

Education/DegreesThe Bradford School of Business.
Undergraduate Student at Texas Southern University - Barbara Jordan/Mickey Leland School of Public of Affairs.
B.S. Degree Candidate-Public Affairs/Administrtion

The most important thing I will achieve is authenticity. I believe their should be open dialogue between the Citizens of Harris County and the County Clerk.

Utilizing the voter outreach approach through-out the year rather than during election season only.
Educate and/or enlighten individuals of the importance of citizens to participate in the democratic process.

The Harris County Clerk can ensure the security of every vote cast by ensuring that technologies are current and fully operational.
Reviewing and adjusting the collection of mail-ballots for proper representation.

Education/DegreesBA - English - University of Houston; M. Ed. - Secondary Education - University of Houston;
Doctorate - Educational Leadership - Sam Houston State University;
Doctoral Dissertation: The development of a new leadership theory

Professional ExperienceI have over 30 years of leadership and administrative experience in running large and small organizations in banking, education, and county government with experience in budgeting, personnel, and policy making. Leadership is my passion.

I am running for Harris County Clerk to improve voter turnout in Harris County by making our election process more convenient, more secure, more transparent, and more fair to all citizens of our county. In our last election, we had a 6% turnout and we usually are somewhere between 20 to 30% even in presidential elections. We must and can do better if we are to continue to call ourselves a democracy. I want to make it easier and more convenient for people to vote. Every voter deserves equal access to the ballot box. Too many times, long lines, inconvenient voting locations, or last minute changes in voting locations confuse and discourage people from voting. I want to provide full access to all qualified voters so that every voice is equally heard. I want voters to be excited about voting again, just like when they voted for the first time. We must make it easier instead of harder for qualified people to vote, and that is what I will do.

I do not believe we can continue to have a democratic form of government without more citizen participation. And that's why I want to bring Voting Centers to Harris County. The concept of Voting Centers is simply "Early Voting on Election Day". Voters can vote at any voting location on election day. Currently, 42 counties in Texas have used this method of voting and all have improved their voter turnout. I believe that giving voters more choices about where to vote on election day will definitely increase voter turnout. The first step would be to apply to the Secretary of State, then I would ask for community input on where voting centers are needed. I believe that community input is vital for Voting Centers to be successful. The next step would be to get approval from Commissioner's Court, and upon approval, Voting Centers could be used in a small election first to see where improvements need to be made. The great thing about Voting Centers is that it gives voters a choice.

In light of what happened in the last presidential election, the security of our voting process and voting machines becomes one of the most important issues to this office. Voters need to know that they can trust the voting process and that their vote will actually be counted. To address voter security, I think it is crucial for the next county clerk to look at best practices across the state by meeting with other county clerks, election administrators, and security experts to see what will work best for Harris County. At this time, I have met with the election administrator from Travis County and also computer security expert, Dr. Dan Wallach of Rice University to discuss their ideas on keeping our election process secure and I will continue to speak to others. I do believe that we need an outside Audit Firm that specializes in voting security to come in and take a look at our current systems and processes, and that will be one of the first things I do in this position.

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